In time for tonight's 2016 MLB All-Star Game, an Under Armour Running campaign from Droga5 New York debuts with a TV and digital spot titled “Numbers” which features National League MVP and four-time All-Star, outfielder Bryce Harper. Directed by Aoife McArdle via production houses Somesuch and Anonymous Content, “Numbers” tells Harper’s story through the voice of his high school coach, Sam Thomas. As he points out the numbers that have put pressure on Harper throughout his career, we see Harper training in an empty ballpark among visual representations of those numbers frantically emerging all over – from seat numbers to scoreboards to section numbers. The film ends on a monumental shot of his feet rotating on home plate, illustrating that in a sport dominated by numbers, the genesis of Harper’s brilliance comes not from statistics, but from the first step and pivot in the batter’s box.
The overall global marketing campaign is driven by the tagline “It Comes From Below,” showing that every great sporting moment starts with the feet and that strong footwork, while often overlooked, provides the foundation to defy expectations and achieve athletic excellence.
Credits
Client Under Armour Agency Droga5 NY David Droga, creative chairman; Ted Royer, chief creative officer; Felix Richter, Alexander Nowak, group creative directors; Bryan Wolff, copywriter; Daniel Sumarna, art director; Sally-Ann Dale, chief creation officer; David Cardinali, executive producer; Troy Smith, associate producer; Jonny Bauer, global chief strategy officer; Harry Roman, head of strategy; Sam Matthews, strategy director; Colleen Leddy, head of communications strategy; Hillary Heath, communications strategy director; Kathryn Ruoco, communications strategist; Newman Granger, strategist; Anthony Khaykin, sr. data strategist. Production Somesuch and Anonymous Aoife McArdle, director; Sally Campbell, Tim Nash, founding partners, Somesuch; Eric Stern, managing director, Anonymous; SueEllen Clair, exec producer, Anonymous; Laurie Boccaccio, producer; Steve Annis, DP; Yianni Papadopoulos, production manager. Editorial Final Cut Dan Sherwen, editor; Geoff Hastings, cutting assistant, NY; Leila Gaabi, assistant editor, UK; Sarah Roebuck, exec producer; Jen Sienkwicz, head of production; Frankie Elster, producer (UK); Jamie Nagler, producer (NY). Postproduction BlackSmith Charlotte Arnold, exec producer; Megan Sweet, producer; Iwan Zwarts, VFX supervisor. Music/Sound Design Siren/Factory Sean Atherton, partner & company director
How do you top one of the most viral brand videos ever made? Spoiler alert: you can’t. But when Dollar Shave Club tapped Zack Seckler to direct a new campaign to revive the absurdist humor of its iconic launch video, he knew he had a rare opportunity to create something special.
The brief was simple: introduce the concept of a physical “Club” that people would love to join while showcasing Dollar Shave Club’s products and embracing the weird. From script to direction and post, Seckler--an alum of SHOOT’s 2021 New Directors Showcase--was invited to help sculpt that vision.
The result is this “Welcome to the Club” spot which invites us to join a unique, seemingly exclusive but in reality an accessible and affordable fraternity of Dollar Shave Club members. But you need to know the password or more accurately, the two-word phrase--"shave money."
“The Club” campaign brings the brand back to its humorous roots, reflecting a new chapter after being acquired by Nexus Capital Management from Unilever in late 2023. The work takes Dollar Shave Club back to its disruptive beginnings and what made the brand a viral sensation from its inception in 2011.
